diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..25da6e6edbb48b48abe37e611bcf294d8e0d6c32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.obsidian
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.gitignore.md b/.gitignore.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f1e165e173d547408b1bf37ef969eb87ddebab57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This file was created on error by obsidian. I did not find a way to edit the real ".gitignore" file in Obsidian because it always creates .md files by default (and assumes .md for all file links, as it should).
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 96798008956ed8da1834c99bb00c7e5934ef664c..0469ddf098cf10b850eae264811d69ac529c15c5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,36 @@
 # Markdown Linked Notes Template
+This is a template for a collection of text files (e.g. notebooks, wikis, "Zettelkasten") located in a git repository. The following core features are desired:
+- editing mainly in [Obsidian](https://wwww.obsidian.md), but any text editor possible
+- asynchronous shared work possible, with note merging handled by git
+- online viewing in GitLab possible, with working links between notes
+	- this particularly means that Obsidians `\[\[ FILE \]\]` links are not supported
+
+### .gitignore
+The [.gitignore](.gitignore) file currently looks like this:
+![.gitignore](.gitignore)
+
+## Test content
+- This is a test link to another [file](otherfile.md)
+- This is a test link to [itself](./README.md)
+- This is test link to a file with obsidian-style linking: [[obsidian file]]
+- This is a test link to a file in a subfolder called Topic A: [link](Topic A/newfile.md)
+	- here is the test again without the space in the subfolder: [link](TopicA/newfile.md)
+
+This content is created to test/showcase the behaviour and rendering in GitLab online.
+
+```mermaid
+graph LR
+f[first]
+i[initial]
+s[second]
+t[third]
+
+f & i --> s
+s --> t
+t --> s
+```
 
-
-
+---
 ## Getting started
 
 To make it easy for you to get started with GitLab, here's a list of recommended next steps.
diff --git a/Topic.md b/Topic.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3df2201443dd39c6310e994090ad03e515a9e628
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Topic.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This file was created on error by Obsidian when linking to "./Topic A/newfile.md"
diff --git a/TopicA/newfile.md b/TopicA/newfile.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8be1bb6b7c4685a1de21843ba85eede5935654b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/TopicA/newfile.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This file was created in Obs by linking to `TopicA/newfile.md` and it worked!
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/obsidian file.md b/obsidian file.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5430a4f9e877a3d75a419c6bea5789412a02ca35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/obsidian file.md	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This file was created by linking to `[[obsidian file.md]]`
diff --git a/otherfile.md b/otherfile.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a3c61ba6d8cbf8cf12bc63dcc119a4c36b647d15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/otherfile.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is the other file linked by a standard `[]()` type link.
\ No newline at end of file